KSL.com tops list of TV station websites

A report highlighting the top TV stations and websites across 80 U.S. cities and 400 TV station websites recently revealed that Salt Lake City's KSL-TV ranks as the most visited TV station website in the country.

SALT LAKE CITY — KSL.com is the most visited local TV website in the country, as 77 percent of area residents turn to KSL for news and information.

According to research done by The Media Audit Report in August, 67 percent of the Salt Lake metropolitan area population had visited the station's website, KSL.com within the past 30 days. The figure represents more than 1 million unique monthly visitors.

The data also indicates that KSL.com increases the TV station's early evening news audience to a net reach of 77 percent of the market.

"It’s really not surprising that KSL.com is in the position it is. KSL is a strong, trusted brand and has worked hard over many decades to earn that trust with viewers, readers and listeners," said Tanya Vea, KSL's executive vice president of news. "It’s remarkable to think that, based on this study, 77 percent of the Utah market turns to KSL.com and KSL-TV for their news and information. That’s really humbling to us. No other news brand in the country has that kind of reach."

The research examined top local TV stations and their websites across 80 U.S. cities and more than 400 websites between 2012 and 2013.

A TV station website in Raleigh-Durham, N.C., was second with just under 55 percent, followed by Charlottesville, Va. (53.6); Southern N.H. (52.9); and Cedar Rapids (50.4) and Des Moines, Iowa (49.3); Madison, Wis. (44.3); Portland, Maine (43.6); and Denver (43.3).

"The success of KSL.com is a reflection of a lot of good work by innovative people over the last 15 years," said Spencer Hall, news director for KSL.com. "We're offering compelling reasons for people to look to us as their primary news source."